A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?
The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it’s a skull from the town’s violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.
But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a school mate who went missing then.
None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.
The Liars is a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved disappearances and a community at war with itself.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
The Liars is a small town family drama/crime thriller that latches on like a tiger shark, drags you in and doesn’t let go until you’ve turned the very last page. This was a total page-turner for me for so many reasons. The secrets that every character had, and the way they were woven together with atrocities from the long-distant colonial past made this book so much more than many crime thrillers. I loved the way McGovern dealt with the intergenerational small town bullies many of us who live in country towns are familiar with. But most of all, as an Aboriginal woman, I loved the truth-telling about the past and connection to country. McGovern’s writing of Aboriginal characters and culture was subtle and authentic rather than patronising. Thank you Petronella. I loved this book. Amanda, NT, 5 Stars
A really captivating crime book set in coastal New South Wales. If you love a crime book, you will love this one. There are parallels between the mother and daughter’s lives, and the story leaves you scratching your head trying to figure out “who did it”. I really liked the realism of the reaction of a teenager ie lets make a video of the discovery of a skull and upload it to youtube!! Great book that will keep you reading – the kind of book you can’t stop reading but don’t want it to end because it’s so good. Kerrie, NSW, 5 Stars
Thankyou to Better Reading for ARC of The Liars – fantastic Australian crime thriller. This is the first novel of Petra McGovern’s that I’ve read and I’ll definitely be looking out for others of hers. The Liars had me hooked from the first page with twists and turns making this a page turner. Petra’s character and setting descriptions left me feeling I was right there observing as the story continued. There are some confronting subjects covered in the storyline. With family secrets, lies and a small NSW coastal community embroiled in a dark and corrupt history, the teenage protagonist Siena is determined to see the wrongs of the past and present uncovered and justice brought to bear. The Liars is one to put on your reading list if you enjoy the the crime thriller genre. Helen, NSW, 5 Stars
“The Liars” by Petronella McGovern is a murder mystery read that is impossible to put down. It follows a family in the holiday town Kinton Bay. The family and the town are rattled when Siena, the teenage daughter of the family, makes a shocking discovery which threatens the peace and tranquillity of all who live in Kinton Bay. I am a huge fan of McGovern’s other titles and “The Liars” is one of her best. It will keep you guessing until the end! Emma, NSW, 5 Stars
The Liars was a gripping read. So many confronting themes were explored including Australia’s violent history, the impact of sexual assaults, and power and corruption. The description of the isolated cave and creepy bushland setting really set the scene for me. Every character also had a deeply held secret that was eventually uncovered. I was kept guessing until the very end! KJ, QLD, 5 Stars
Loved this. Two generations of teenage parties, mixed with Aboriginal history, a serial killer, toxic masculinity and corruption in a seaside community lead to a great story with some strong characters and some twists I didn’t forsee. Am searching out her other books! Recommended. Dorothy, NSW, 5 Stars
What a great read! Lots of different stories intermingled with time flipping back and forth. I really enjoyed this book. Kay, QLD, 5 Stars
When 15-year-old Siena unearths a human skull in a national park, where she had also gone without her parent’s permission, she makes her find a national news story when she posts a video trying to link the discovery to her town’s violent past. Her parents have their own secrets and the skull find uncovers more than the family wish to share. One by one, more secrets emerge and perhaps it is a serial killer might be responsible for the multiple local disappearances over the years. Have the police kept some things hidden and what else will eventually surface?! Sharnee, QLD, 5 Stars
Thank you for sending me this book preview for Petronella McGovern, which I found absolutely troublesome to put down and ignored all my chores and family members. I finished it in two nights because it was so very controversial and easy to read mystery murder thriller. I really identified with the Australian characters especially the teenager Siena that stumbles onto the gruesome find with her friend in the national park. I have put a hold on her two other novels. I love her writing that much! Preeya, QLD, 5 Stars
I loved this book. As it’s set in NSW everything seems so relatable to me. The main characters, Sienna, Meri & Rollo all keep things from one another but in the end this is what brings them together. They all grow and finally show their strength. It is very much a story of history repeating itself and how we need change to stop it. The culture of teenagers finding ways to entertain themselves in small towns is a never ending cycle. Throughout all this is the whodunnit theme which kept me guessing for quite a while. It was a very enjoyable read and I now know a lot more about whales. I will definitely look for more of Petronella’s books now. Tracey, NSW, 5 Stars
What a great read. A small Australian coastal town is rattled by the discovery of a skull by fifteen year old Sienna, and her friend Kyle in a cave close to their town. Through the lens of Siena, her mother Meri, father Rollo, the local detective, and another unknown person, the events that are triggered by this discovery are seen. The town is confronted with its dark history, multiple missing persons and the secrets that some have been holding onto for a very long time that they don’t want to come out. The twist at the end was unexpected, but loved it! The Liars is the first novel by Petronella McGovern that I have read – and loved it, so looking forward to now reading her first two. Leticia, QLD, 5 Stars
The tagline sums up this book perfectly – a wife burning with resentment, a husband hiding the past and their teenage daughter crusading for the truth – in amongst the backdrop of a town full of secrets. No better setting! I loved the author’s inclusion of the local indigenous past and this story line was sensitively done. Fast paced, multi-layered, various view points, this one will keep you turning the pages and racing to the end to find out who did it. Leanne, QLD, 5 Stars
Petronella McGovern is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. This compelling mystery kept me totally captivated with twists and turns which kept me guessing right til the end. It tackles social and cultural issues which have transcended through the ages. Fans of The Dry will love this book. Justine, NSW, 5 Stars
Aussie thriller author Petronella McGovern has done it again, crafting a gripping murder mystery which has entwined a family living in a small NSW coastal town. It begins when 15-year-old Siena Britton unearths a human skull in a national park and turns her find into a national news item when she posts a video linking the discovery to her town’s violent colonial past. But her parents aren’t so sure, and they’re horrified when they discover the real reason Siena was in the national park. One by one, more secrets emerge and it appears that a serial killer might be responsible for the disappearance of some locals over the years. And it’s also likely that in the past, police have ignored some leads and maybe even deliberately swept others under the carpet. The toughest thing about reading The Liars was having to put it aside rather than devouring it all in one session. It will entrance readers and will undoubtedly become one of Australia’s best thrillers of 2022. Don, SA, 5 Stars
A pair of teens finds a skull in the National Park abutting a resort town on the north coast of NSW. The police and the townspeople speculate: it can’t be the toolie who disappeared the other day; might the skull belong to a teen missing for over two decades? One of various other persons gone missing over the years: a Swiss backpacker, a Brisbane nurse? A local businessman who received threats? But the teens are convinced that the skull belongs to one of the victims of a nineteenth century massacre of indigenous families carried out by the town’s founder. Needless to say, Kinton Bay’s business people, those reliant on the tourist trade, are very reluctant to draw attention to the town’s dark history. But a passionate teen with a YouTube channel makes it a moot point: soon the whole country knows, and not everyone is willing to accept the adverse publicity with equanimity. Some have long-held secrets they don’t want exposed. Then, more bones are uncovered… Petronella McGovern’s latest novel is an atmospheric, topical and gripping page-turner. Marianne, NSW, 5 Stars
A great book with so many plots and sub plots. Twists and turns and so entertaining. A great Aussie story about an ordinary family that doesn’t reveal all till the end. Just my sort of book and I agree with Liane Moriarty, Petronella McGovern is now one of my favorite authors. Jenny, VIC, 5 Stars
Absolutely brilliant The Liars written by Petronella McGovern is another great book by this author, the story is set in Kinton Bay and involves the Britton family, the whole family have secrets with unsolved killings at the centre of this book was a hard book to put down totally enthralling. Gavin, NSW, 5 Stars
The Liars is a warm-hearted novel, with a rich web of characters, expertly interwoven throughout the modern Australian narrative. This novel will appeal to readers of various ages, and adeptly integrates themes relevant to today; the pandemic, sexual abuse, teen drug and alcohol abuse, aboriginal heritage, racism, sexuality… Petronella McGovern takes the reader on a journey of relationships through the eyes of the many interesting characters. Susie, VIC, 5 Stars
‘They didn’t talk about the cave in Wreck Point National Park. No-one did.’ The small Australian town of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton finds a human skull in the national park. Siena believes that it is a skull from the town’s violent colonial past and wastes no time posting a video which hits the news headlines. Her parents, Meri and Rollo, are less certain. They remember a classmate went missing after a party in 1998. Meri, concerned to protect her children, has a location application on their phones. This gives Meri a sense of security, but it may not protect either Siena or her twin brother Taj. As the past makes its way into the present, the local police revisit several missing person cases. Further grim discoveries have the town on edge: have multiple murders been committed? And by whom? Ms McGovern’s latest novel takes us into a community at war with itself over differing views of history and exposes some toxic secrets. Siena’s desire to expose tragic events of the past puts both her and her family in danger. Contemporary Australian crime fiction with a twist. I could not put it down. Highly recommended. Jennifer, ACT, 5 Stars
It took less than six hours to devour this book from cover to cover and now I need to find and read all of McGovern’s other novels. Set in the fictional small town of Kinton Bay on the NSW coast that is turned upside down when fifteen-year-old Siena uncovers a human skull she believes is linked to a massacre in the town’s violent colonial past. But are there parallels to events in the town from when Siena’s mother Mari was the same age and what secrets are actually being uncovered? The Liars covers a number of topics managing to balance robust discussion with thoughfulness and sensitivity including colonisation, cultural appropriation, allyship vs white saviorism, misogyny, intergenerational trauma, family trauma, corruption in governance systems and abandonment issues (plus more I am sure I have forgotten to list). That being said, I acknowledge I am a white, cis female and I read with the lens of privilege that affords me. McGovern has acknowledged the complexities in these overlapping, conflictual spaces while also creating a classic crime thriller. I was second guessing myself until everything was confirmed. I would recommend The Liars to all readers as a story that has something for everyone. Amelia, VIC, 5 Stars
This book is so clever and well put together! I haven’t read any of Petronella McGovern’s other books, but her skill at constructing a smart and twisty page turner steeped in so much mystery has me ravenous for more. Usually when I read a crime book, I can identify a prime suspect. Not so with this book! The author served up a generous smorgasbord of potential candidates and who the murderer ended up being came as a complete surprise to me. That’s the main reason why I loved this book. That, and its relevance. Circling the core storyline is the issue of a country having to accept and make amends for historical wrongdoings against its indigenous people. In short, this is the story of an innocent act by a young girl that sparks the catalyst for small town and family secrets to be dragged out of hiding and a community to confront its demons. Multiple POVs, including short chapters with the anonymous voice of the murderer and random chapters that make more sense at the end, quickly turn a slow-starter into a riveting read. Eynas, QLD, 4 Stars
This enthralling book is set in Kinton Bay, a spot which is known for whale watching. When a 15-year-old resident discovers a skull questions are raised firstly about the violent founder of the settlement and then the identity of the skull. Over the years several people have gone missing. Who will be the owner of the skull? Many guilty memories raise their ugly head with the residents. Lies and deceit and fraudulent police practices have only exacerbated the anxiety held by the local residents. Who can the killer be? Is it a local? Do the residents need to be worried? A story told with intrigue that the reader will struggle to put the book down. A real whodunnit that will have the reader trying to guess who the murderer is and a total surprise when they are revealed. A fantastic read. Lisa, SA, 4 Stars
The Liars is set in the Coastal Town of Kinton Bay. The story tells of the Britton family with Mum Meri a local newspaper journalist, Dad Rollo who runs a whale watching charter boat and their 15 year old twins Siena and Taj. The book covers many interesting subjects but is mainly about the skull that Siena discovers in the National Park. The Police then discover 2 more bodies. There are different theories from the locals. Are the bodies those who have recently gone missing or of Aboriginal victims of a massacre in the 1800’s? Loved the book and the ending was a surprise! Thanks Better Reading for the advanced copy. Nicola, SA, 4 Stars
The Liars by Petronella McGovern was a complex Australian book by a new author to me. It is the story of Siena Britton, who with her friend Kyle, finds a human skull in the forest. They think it is from Kyle’s ancestors, but it could be from some of those parties at The Killing Cave in the 1990’s. Siena’s Mum Meri is a journalist so has to work out what Kinton Bay needs to be told, her husband Rollo has a whale watching business he needs to be a success. Their son Taj is often mysteriously missing. This novel brings up so many themes – racism, misogyny, cultural issues and a town who is not working together. It is set in a small town and tourism is another factor, especially when further bones are found. Everyone seems to have an agenda and at least someone they have an issue with. I wanted to keep reading to see how stories were connected, if people could come together or be torn apart, and unravel the mystery of the deaths. I believe this was executed really well on all counts and I was guessing till the end. Tara, SA, 4 Stars
This book was thrilling and suspenseful. Had me hooked until the end, with a perfect twist to finish it off. Entwined in the mystery is a modern concept of acknowledgement for the Aboriginal culture, colonisation and ‘white-washing’ of history. A very fitting topic for the new generations. Alexandra, TAS, 4 Stars
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